Talk about a cool dude: He once stopped a sulfuric acid leak with a piece of chocolate, and dismantled a missile using a trombone.
The 1980s US television character, secret agent Angus MacGyver, could do it all and next year, his successor will be a woman, if a US engineering association has its way.
Late last month, the US National Academy of Engineering launched the “The Next MacGyver Project,” aimed at coming up with ideas for a scripted TV series featuring a female engineer as the leading character.
Thirty years after that cult series riveted TV viewers, “the objective here is not a MacGyver reboot, but to inspire a new generation of young women interested in science and technology by creating a strong female role model,” MacGyver creator Lee Zlotoff said.
The project is the joint initiative of University of Southern California engineering professor Adam Smith and National Academy of Engineering head of communications Randy Atkins.
“After an interview with Lee Zlotoff, Adam called me and proposed that we develop a TV show, and I immediately said yes,” Atkins said.
The name — “The Next MacGyver Project” — was suggested by Zlotoff, who has supported the project from the outset.
“I cannot say how many people told me they got interested in engineering after watching MacGyver,” Atkins said. “The idea to make a female lead character comes from Hollywood producers we met during the initial phase of the project.”
In the US engineers of all kinds are in strong demand, but women make up a minority of the sector and their numbers are falling.
In 2004 they accounted for 24 percent of engineering posts, but the proportion has now dropped to 21 percent.
In universities, the numbers are also discouraging: Less than 20 percent of engineering students are women.
Atkins says the problem is one of image.
“There’s a strong stereotype around engineering, that it’s a male, geeky profession,” he told reporters.
Atkins also said young people do not even really understand what an engineer is.
“When we tour schools around the country, we ask what an engineer is and most of them can’t give a proper answer,” he said.
However, former CIA science and technology official Ruth David did not need a MacGyver hero.
She is a real-life Q — the inventor of the nifty gadgets in the arsenal of spy James Bond.
She said “The Next MacGyver” will make a difference.
“The problem is that there’s no female role model,” she said.
David says she was the only woman in her class while studying in the 1970s.
If a stronger effort can be made in schools, David said the drive has to be instilled even earlier among children.
“It’s a cultural problem too. The toys young boys grow up with encourage problem solving, but that’s not the case with young girls’ toys,” she said.
The idea of using pop culture to highlight engineering is not new. In 1985, former Lockheed Martin chairman Norman Augustine gave a speech calling for Hollywood to develop a series named “L.A. Engineer,” in line with the popular lawyer series L.A. Law.
“Television is an excellent way to reach out to younger audiences. We are well aware of the impact fictional characters can have,” Zlotoff said, adding that while Hollywood’s main job is to entertain, “the industry is full of open minded people who want to make the world a better place.”
“The Next MacGyver” has been well received in the entertainment world. Many well-known producers are involved in the project.
They include CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, science fiction producer Roberto Orci, Clayton Krueger, who worked with director Ridley Scott, and Revelations Entertainment director Lori McCreary.
Zuiker, whose series has inspired women to work in police forensics, said he is enthusiastic about the project.
“We rarely see women in strong scientific lead roles,” he said. “Our role is to entertain, but also to inspire young men and women.”
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